The golden sun rose slowly over the quiet fields.
Morning light covered the land like a warm blessing.
Karna stood alone in the open field, holding his small wooden bow.
Thirty days had passed since the system quest appeared.
Every day he had trained under the sunlight for three hours without fail.
Rain.
Wind.
Cold mornings.
Nothing stopped him.
His arrows had become faster.
More precise.
More powerful.
And today…
Was the final day.
Karna took a deep breath.
The sunlight touched his skin warmly.
He placed an arrow on the bowstring and looked at a distant tree far across the field.
It was nearly impossible for a normal child to hit such a target.
But Karna's eyes were calm.
Focused.
The world seemed to slow down.
The wind direction.
The angle of the bow.
The tension of the string.
Everything became clear to him.
He released the arrow.
WHOOSH!
The arrow shot through the air like a streak of light.
THUD!
It struck the exact center of the tree.
At that exact moment—
DING
QUEST COMPLETED
Quest: First Path of the Archer
Rewards Unlocked:
Surya Archery Art (Divine Rank)
+10 Strength
+10 Agility
A sudden wave of warmth spread through Karna's body.
Golden light surrounded him briefly.
Ancient knowledge flooded into his mind.
Thousands of archery techniques.
Breathing methods.
Combat instincts.
Ways to control the flow of energy while shooting arrows.
Karna's eyes widened slightly.
'This… this is incredible.'
He could now understand things that ordinary warriors spent decades learning.
The system message appeared again.
SURYA ARCHERY ART
Rank: Divine
Effects:
Perfect aim
Solar energy arrows
Increased reaction speed
Divine combat instinct
Karna slowly looked at his bow.
'Solar energy arrows…?'
A curious smile appeared on his face.
'Let's test it.'
He placed another arrow on the string.
This time he focused on the warmth of the sun above him.
Slowly…
A faint golden glow appeared around the arrow.
The air around it seemed to heat slightly.
Karna's eyes shone.
'It worked.'
He aimed toward a large rock far away.
Then he released the arrow.
WHOOSH!
The glowing arrow flew through the air like a beam of sunlight.
BOOM!
The rock shattered into several pieces.
Dust filled the air.
Karna blinked.
Then he laughed quietly.
'That was stronger than I expected.'
Clap… clap… clap…
A soft sound came from behind him.
Karna turned around.
Standing a few steps away was a familiar boy.
Dark skin.
Bright eyes.
A peacock feather in his hair.
Krishna smiled playfully while clapping his hands.
"That was amazing."
Karna sighed slightly.
'Of course he saw that.'
Krishna walked closer, looking at the shattered rock.
His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"That arrow was strange."
"It looked like sunlight."
Karna shrugged casually.
"Maybe the sun likes me."
Krishna laughed softly.
"Maybe."
But deep inside, his eyes became thoughtful.
He looked directly at Karna.
For a moment, silence filled the field.
Then Krishna smiled again.
"You will become a great warrior one day."
Karna looked at him calmly.
"That is the plan."
Krishna's smile widened.
"Good."
"Because the world will need strong warriors in the future."
Karna's eyes sharpened slightly.
'He already knows the future war is coming…'
Krishna suddenly turned toward the road leading to the nearby kingdom.
"There is a festival today in the city."
"Many royal families are visiting."
He looked back at Karna.
"You should come."
Karna raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Krishna grinned mischievously.
"Because you might meet someone interesting."
Later that day…
The city was full of life.
People crowded the streets.
Music echoed everywhere.
Karna walked beside Krishna, observing everything calmly.
Even though he had memories of the modern world, ancient cities still fascinated him.
Suddenly Krishna stopped walking.
He pointed toward the royal palace garden.
"Look."
Karna followed his gaze.
A group of royal children were playing near a fountain.
Among them stood a young girl wearing royal clothes.
Her long dark hair flowed behind her.
Her eyes were bright and confident.
Even as a child she carried the aura of a future queen.
Karna's mind immediately recognized her.
'Draupadi.'
The future princess of Panchala.
And the woman who would one day become the center of the greatest rivalry between Karna and Arjuna.
Krishna looked at Karna's reaction carefully.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"She is Princess Draupadi."
Karna crossed his arms calmly.
"I know."
Krishna blinked.
"You know?"
Karna quickly corrected himself.
"I mean… she looks like royalty."
Krishna laughed.
But his eyes sparkled with curiosity.
At that moment Draupadi turned toward them.
Her sharp gaze immediately landed on Karna.
For a brief moment their eyes met.
The young princess frowned slightly.
Then she walked closer.
Her voice was confident and proud.
"Who are you?"
Karna looked directly into her eyes.
Completely calm.
"Karna."
Draupadi examined him for a moment.
Then she crossed her arms.
"You don't look like a noble."
Karna smirked slightly.
"Does skill depend on birth?"
Draupadi blinked.
Clearly surprised by his answer.
Krishna watched the entire scene with amusement.
The wind gently blew through the palace garden.
None of them realized it yet.
But this small meeting had just begun a story that would one day shake the entire world.
Far above in the sky…
The Sun shone brightly.
Watching the Sun's Chosen Warrior take another step toward his destiny.